Ice Nine Kills: Fear The Premiere Tour Review

Ice Nine Kills performed their Fear The Premiere Tour at the Bayou Music Center on Tuesday, August 22nd. The energy was high, with many artists performing that night.

Houston, Texas, what the f*ck is going on! How are you guys doing tonight? My name is Mike’s Dead, and welcome to the motherf*ckin’ show!

Mike of Mike’s Dead

Mike’s Dead opened the night with a fantastic performance of their song “SICK (feat. Slave Dog).” Mike’s Dead, an emerging artist, is known for his unique blend of genres, seamlessly fusing elements of alternative, hip-hop, and pop into his music. With introspective lyrics and catchy melodies, his songs often explore self-discovery, relationships, and personal growth themes. He has garnered attention for his ability to create relatable and emotionally resonant tracks, making him a promising artist in the modern music scene.

Throughout their performance, he constantly interacted with the crowd and even got them moshing by the third song. Mike’s Dead performed songs from their EP Revenge EP and singles “Welcome To Hell (feat. Emmure)” and “Buckwild.” Standout songs from his performance are “REVENGE (feat. Cameron Azi)” and “Welcome To Hell (feat. Emmure).” He ended the performance with an unreleased song and thanked the crowd for rocking with him. The crowd then eagerly waited for the next performance.

Houston, let’s f*ck this sh*t up!

Landon Tewers of The Plot In You

Continuing the night’s high energy was the performance of The Plot In You with their attention-grabbing performance of “Forgotten.” The Plot In You is a prominent American rock band celebrated for their emotionally charged and reflective music. Their sound, which combines elements of metalcore, post-hardcore, and alternative rock, sets them apart in the scene. Led by vocalist Landon Tewers, the band’s lyrics delve into themes of personal struggles, relationships, and raw emotions. With a dedicated fan base, The Plot In You’s impactful music resonates with listeners seeking powerful and honest expressions in their musical journey.

Tewers has impressive vocal stability, as his singing and screaming can be tiring, but he showed immense prowess and expressed so much emotion in his vocals. He also got the crowd moshing during the song “Paradigm.” The band performed songs from their albums Swan Song and DISPOSE and the single “Forgotten.” Standout songs from their performance are “Divide” and “THE ONE YOU LOVED.” Their final song was “FEEL NOTHING,” as they finished, they thanked the crowd for their support.

The night continued with the Set It Off opening their performance with “Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing,” which excited the crowd to jump, clap, and sing along. Set It Off is a dynamic pop-rock band recognized for their energetic performances and eclectic musical style. Hailing from Florida, the band infuses pop, rock, and alternative elements into their sound. Fronted by charismatic vocalist Cody Carson, their music often explores empowerment, relationships, and personal growth themes. Their catchy melodies, engaging lyrics, and energetic stage presence have earned them a devoted fan base and a notable presence in the contemporary music scene. 

During “Killer in the Mirror,” Carson crowd surfed in the middle of the song, which continued the trend of people surfing for the rest of the night. He showed tremendous stage presence throughout his performance, constantly interacting with the crowd. In the third song, “Projector,” he gets the crowd moving by directing their moves in the middle of the song.

Stop! Let’s have some f*cking fun! Put your arm around the person to your left and your right. And now I need you to jump with me! But first, we’re going this way! [he points to the left for the crowd] Let’s go left! Let’s go right! You can’t stand still and do this! Left! One more time, let’s go, lift your hands! Now, slide as far as you can f*cking go. Left! Now settle that sh*t out! And scream! [crowd screams back]

Cody Carson of Set It Off

That is only a tiny example of Carson’s ability to entertain the crowd. He also referred to Ay-Oh by Queen at Live-Aid by interacting with the crowd similarly. An exciting change happened before the song “Hypnotized” as Carson goes to playing drums and Maxx Danzinger goes to lead vocals. In the middle of the song “N.M.E,” they included part of “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back)” by the Backstreet Boys, which was a fun addition.

The band performed songs from their albums Elsewhere, Midnight, Upside Down, and Cinematics and singles “Win Win” and “Punching Bag.” Standout songs from their performance are “Projector,” “Loose Cannon” and “Why Worry.” Before they ended with the song “Punching Bag,” Carson explained the importance of its release as they are now independent artists (artists not under a music label). They ended by thanking the crowd profusely and hyping up for Ice Nine Kills’s performance.

Great killings and creeps of all ages! We have finally arrived at tonight’s main event! I’ve got a band for you that knows a thing or two about rot and roll! [evil laughter] So lend me your fears because if you leave now, you’ll be making a grave mistake. I call this one ICE NINE KILLS!

Introduction of Ice Nine Kills

The highly anticipated performance of Ice Nine Kills began with an eye-catching performance of “Hip To Be Scared,” with a stellar stage presence from the band. Ice Nine Kills is a captivating metalcore band that combines heavy music with theatrical storytelling skillfully. Their music draws inspiration from horror movies, literature, and pop culture, creating a unique blend of aggressive instrumentation and cinematic narratives. Led by vocalist Spencer Charnas, the band’s lyrics often explore dark and macabre themes, creating a distinct and immersive experience for listeners.

Charnas was incredibly charismatic and theatrical on stage as the ongoing theme of horror continued throughout the show. He led the storytelling, going onstage with many costume changes, props, and interactions with horror movie references (using actors). He constantly engaged the crowd in moving, singing along, and thanking them for their enthusiasm.

The band had great synergy with each other and provided excellent backing vocals that elevated the entire performance. Having backing vocals also helped relieve the amount of vocal stress on Charnas, as he could take small vocal breaks or do a quick costume change. The energy was excellent, and with every song, it felt like the band was giving their all. It’s impressive to see an artist who can be so versatile with their vocals and sound so stable while switching from high vocals to growls to screams.

The band performed songs from their albums Welcome To Horrorwood: The Silver Scream 2, The Silver Scream (FINAL CUT), The Silver Scream, and Every Trick In The Book, as well as the single “Jason’s Mom.” The standout songs of their performance are “A Rash Decision,” “Wurst Vacation,” “The American Nightmare” and “Welcome To Horrorwood.” While there are many instances of horror references during the night, the most iconic one is during the song “The Shower Scene,” in which Charnas takes the part of the killer in Psycho and then reenacts the shower scene from the movie. 

“The Shower Scene” is the last song, and the crowd chants, “One more song! One more song!” Then, their encore performance of songs “Opening Night…” and “Welcome To Horrorwood” begins. The background tapestry changes to show the Horrorwood version of the Hollywood sign. “Welcome To Horrorwood” was the perfect ending for the night, and with this, Ice Nine Kills said their last remarks to the crowd.

Thank you, Houston! Make some noise for Mike’s Dead, The Plot In You, and Set It Off! We are Ice Nine Kills. Welcome to horrorwood. 

Spencer Charnas of Ice Nine Kills

Overall, it was a fantastic night of stellar performances! I enjoyed the crowd and the artists’ interaction, as it elevated the experience. I look forward to seeing these artists again in Houston! Check out our Live Coverage Page if you want to see more live coverage content. Be sure to check out these amazing artists!